New doxo Report Reveals that American Households Now Spend $4,361 Annually on Utilities

doxoINSIGHTS 2026 Utility Reports reveal the most and least costly cities and states for utilities, with Americans spending $582 billion annually on their utility bills.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With shifting macroeconomic pressures creating uncertainty in the utilities industry, five new reports released today by doxo reveal exactly how much individual Americans are paying for their essential utilities. A statistical analysis of actual household payments toward four main utility categories (Electric, Gas, Waste & Recycle, and Water & Sewer) across 97% of U.S. zip codes, the 2026 U.S. Utilities Market Size and Household Spending Report found that U.S. households with utility bills spend a median of $363 per month, or $4,361 per year.

The reports break out the household spending market size, the percentage of households that pay each bill, and the median monthly and annual bill costs by state, as well as the 50 largest U.S. cities (based on the number of households) and municipal areas with 40,000 or more households.

Key findings from doxoINSIGHTS 2026 Utilities Reports:

Cost of Utilities in the U.S.

• Americans spend a total of $582 billion a year on Utilities
• The median annual cost per household is $4,361 for total Utilities (+4.63% YoY)
• Utilities bills amount to 5% of annual household income

Read combined report →

Electric Utilities Market Size and Household Spending

• Total Electric Utilities Market Size: $234 billion per year
• Median Monthly: $128 per month
• Annual Bill Payment: $1,533 per year (+6.46% YoY)
• Percent of Households: 90% of U.S. households pay Electric Utilities

Water & Sewer Utilities Market Size and Household Spending

• Total Electric Utilities Market Size: $139 billion per year
• Median Monthly: $89 per month
• Annual Bill Payment: $1,065 per year (+2.80% YoY)
• Percent of Households: 72% of U.S. households pay Water & Sewer Utilities

Gas Utilities Market Size and Household Spending

• Total Electric Utilities Market Size: $128 billion per year
• Median Monthly: $75 per month
• Annual Bill Payment: $900 per year (+5.63% YoY)
• Percent of Households: 67% of U.S. households pay Gas Utilities

Waste & Recycle Utilities Market Size and Household Spending

• Total Electric Utilities Market Size: $80 billion per year
• Median Monthly: $72 per month
• Annual Bill Payment: $863 per year (+2.74% YoY)
• Percent of Households: 54% of U.S. households pay Waste & Recycle Utilities

Concerns over potential future rate adjustments compound notable shifts in consumer bill averages over the last year. Annual electricity costs have risen 6.46% since last year's report, against the backdrop of growing discussions surrounding energy grid strain from emerging technology sectors like artificial intelligence, alongside ongoing grid modernization initiatives and shifts in fuel markets. Meanwhile, Water & Sewer and Waste & Recycle annual averages face upward adjustments of 2.80% and 2.74% respectively, often coinciding with discussions of localized capital infrastructure projects and general operational costs. Conversely, Gas utility prices rose 5.63% to an annual median of $900, matching trends observed as global market pressures have normalized.

“American families are navigating a perfect storm of rising utility costs,” said Steve Shivers, Co-founder and CEO of doxo. “Sweeping infrastructure transformation and increasing energy demand are resulting in more costs being passed to households. That’s why we’re committed to empowering consumers with the tools and transparency they need to better track and manage essential bill payments.”

Top 10 Most Expensive States for Utilities

State	Monthly Electric Median Bill		Monthly Gas Median Bill		Monthly Waste & Recycling Median Bill		Monthly Water & Sewer Median Bill		Monthly Total Utilities Median Bill
Maryland	$	156	$	86	$	138	$	245	$	625
Connecticut	$	141	$	100	$	128	$	141	$	510
Massachusetts	$	140	$	125	$	115	$	129	$	509
Vermont	$	147	$	88	$	91	$	162	$	488
Alaska	$	139	$	150	$	68	$	125	$	481
Wisconsin	$	125	$	100	$	110	$	145	$	480
Hawaii	$	200	$	95	$	35	$	143	$	473
Washington	$	134	$	100	$	86	$	153	$	473
New Jersey	$	139	$	111	$	115	$	100	$	464
Rhode Island	$	150	$	125	$	76	$	100	$	451

Top 10 Most Expensive Large U.S. Cities for Utilities

City	Monthly Electric Median Bill		Monthly Gas Median Bill		Monthly Waste & Recycling Median Bill		Monthly Water & Sewer Median Bill		Monthly Total Utilities Median Bill
New York, NY	$	145	$	143	$	392	$	126	$	805
San Jose, CA	$	120	$	154	$	150	$	179	$	602
Milwaukee, WI	$	114	$	90	$	169	$	206	$	579
Cincinnati, OH	$	138	$	289	$	65	$	75	$	567
Memphis, TN	$	185	$	179	$	87	$	75	$	525
Baltimore, MD	$	181	$	149	$	71	$	115	$	516
Dallas, TX	$	169	$	113	$	132	$	100	$	513
Seattle, WA	$	105	$	82	$	144	$	176	$	507
Rochester, NY	$	145	$	172	$	100	$	79	$	496
Detroit, MI	$	136	$	152	$	101	$	98	$	487

About doxoINSIGHTS

doxoINSIGHTS provides direct insight into The Bill Pay Economy™ by leveraging consumer surveys and doxo’s unique aggregate bill pay data set, comprising actual bill payment activity to confirmed household service providers across the country. doxo data brings together the broadest available data set for analyzing actual household bill payment activity, pulling from over 10 million paying consumers across over 97% of U.S. zip codes. doxo’s payment network covers over 120,000 billers in 45 different service categories and enables payments using bank accounts, credit cards or debit cards. This uniquely broad statistical foundation powers doxoINSIGHTS reports – uncovering key trends for household financial health and bill payment behavior. Uncovering an even deeper level of insight into Americans’ cost of living, doxo’s proprietary Cost of Bills Index™ (COBI), a new feature of doxoINSIGHTS, provides a consistent basis of comparison at the state, county and city level.

About doxo

doxo delivers innovation that transforms the bill pay experience for consumers, billers and financial technology providers. For over 10M consumers, doxo’s all-in-one bill pay makes it simple to organize and pay any bill on any device through a secure checkout. For billers, doxo’s network-driven platform enables online and mobile payments with a ridiculously simple integration, radically lower costs, and game-changing features that are unavailable with legacy bill pay vendors. For fintech partners, doxo delivers financial innovations to consumers across 97% of US Zip Codes, paying from more than 8,000 financial institutions to over 120,000 billers in 45+ service categories. For employees, doxo is a creative, ever-learning team that is passionate about building fintech tools that dramatically improve the bill pay experience. For investors, doxo provides an extraordinary opportunity to invest alongside Jackson Square Ventures, MDV, and Bezos Expeditions to disrupt a market that accounts for over $5T of US Household spend. To learn more about America’s leading bill pay network, visit doxo.com.